Saturday, 26 November 2011

PHILORHYTHMICAL CHARMS

Filoritmia are an Italian prog band from Milan that have been active since 1993. Anyway, it was only in 1997 that the band found the ideal line up, when Roberto Riccardi (guitars) and Matteo Scarparo (bass), joined the historical nucleus formed by Angelo D’Ariano (keyboards), Antonio Mazzucchelli (drums) and Giorgio Mele (vocals). In September 2000, after many years of live performances and pauses dedicated to composition, Filoritmia released their first eponymous album, completely self-produced but featuring an excellent recording quality. All along the album tracks you can find a wide range of sources of inspiration (from classic prog bands like PFM, BMS and Genesis to funky and jazz) but the song-writing is always fresh, original and the result is definitively good.

“There’s a man who’s walking on my tongue...”... The opener “Al buio” (In the dark) begins like a nursery rhyme soaring from a carillon but after two minutes the music turns into a more dramatic mood. The song was inspired by the worming feeling of racism spreading all over Italy after the first waves of illegal immigration in the nineties and tries to shout out the necessity to keep open your mind to different cultures: in the dark you can’t perceive the differences in the colour of the skin... “Will the time come at last, when people are not compelled to turn off the light to understand they are all human beings?”.

“Rapporto occasionale” (Chance meeting) is another great track featuring vintage sounds that swing from mellow symphonic to hard rock. The lyrics are about the difficulties to communicate with unknown people because of our hidden fears. According to the band “the music tries to express this idea of deep uneasiness: sudden changes in rhythm and an upbeat-based melody which makes the first listening hard and unnatural...”.

“Il mago” (The Wizard) is a “charming” mini suite featuring evocative vocal parts and excellent instrumental breaks. It reminds me every now and again of some works of BMS but the music is original and the sound is up to date. The lyrics deal with the charm of words, sweet and easy promises, disillusion and broken dreams... “Come with me, I’m the wizard!”. Definitely one of my favourites tracks on this album!

“Fiato sul collo” (Breath on the neck) is a long, complex track featuring shifting tempos and an excellent guitar solo finale. The lyrics are about the urge to run away from what we don’t know and unconsciously fear, because sometimes ill fantasies compel us to prey and“blindly jump” forward...

“La mappa del tempo” (The map of time) is simpler, light and fresh. It features a funky and swinging mood while the ironic lyrics deal with a way of life without any plans for the future...

“Dirti di no” (Saying no to you) is an interesting track that blends reggae patterns to “classic progressive rock” parts with the keyboards in the forefront . “I want tyres for exceptional performances / And the sensuality of a man who never needs to ask...”. The lyrics are sarcastic and according to the band this is “a song full of rage that expresses a strong intolerance towards a deep-rooted inclination to superficiality...”.

“Per essere felici” (To be happy) is a very good symphonic track featuring a dramatic mood. The lyrics have been inspired by a poem of Fernando Pessoa and are about the meaning of happiness.

“Questo inferno” (This hell) begins with a delicate piano arpeggio, then an obsessive bass line brings in an atmosphere of uneasiness. The song is about depression and, according to the band, here “the music is meant to create a dreadful, gloomy atmosphere”. All along the nine minutes of this piece you can appreciate the excellent musicianship of the band and their ability to create original musical patterns.

“Anima” (Soul) is a melodic ballad full of energy that reminds me of some recent works of I Nomadi (with Danilo Sacco on vocals). The lyrics try to describe a kind of quest for the true sense of life where melancholy is just “a mask of fire burning out one’s feelings...”.

The last track “Epoca lontana” (Long time ago) reminds me every now and again of BMS and PFM. The lyrics are about alcohol addiction and the music underlines the moments of crises described by the lyrics...

On the whole an excellent album without weak moments all along more than seventy minutes of music. I really hope that this album could be re-released and adequately promoted in the future. In the meantime it can be legally downloaded for free from the official website of the band, so have a try and judge by yourselves! Click HERE